Washing-machine.



W. H. VOSS.

WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION man JAN`.24. 1914.

LQ. Patented June 12, i917. I 1 l i WILLIAM I-I. VOSS, 0F DAVENPORT,IOWA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 12, 1917.

Application led January 24, 1914. Serial No. 814,072.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM II. Voss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and btate of Iowa, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in lashing-h/Iachines, (Case 13,)of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an adjustable clamp designed primarily forfirmly holding the lid of the washing machine in correct position uponthe washing machine. Considerable difficulty has been experienced inconnection with washing machines because of the peculiar conditionsarising from the nature of the machine in the manner in which it must beoperated. In the first place, the dolly mechanism is customarily mountedupon the lid and this mechanism reciprocates with some degree ofviolence during the operation of the machine. For this reason the lidmust be very firmly held to the machine in order to avoid objectionablejarring and vibration, which would soon rack and damage the machine.

Again the lid must be capable, although being in operation, very firmlybound or clamped to the machine, of being easily and instantaneouslyremoved or raised to allow inspection of the washing, addition ofclothes to be washed, change of water, etc., one or other of whichoperations occurring` very frequently during the normal operation of thewashing machine.

The greatest diculty, however, inherent in providing a satisfactoryclamp for washing machines has been the fact that inasmuch as the tuband lid are made of wood, these parts swell considerably when soaked inhot water and a satisfactory clamp must therefore possess the capacityto accommodate the swell or expansion of the lid with relation to thetub, or vice versa, while at the same time perform its clamping functionin a firm and unyielding manner. In so far as I am aware and prior to myinvention, there existed no clamp capable of obtaining the results aboveenumerated.

It is an object of my invention therefore to provide a clamp which issimple and easy of application, inexpensive to make and capable ofinstantaneous release.

It is another object of my invention to provide a clamp which willfirmly bind and grip the lid of the washing macilnneto the machine, thuspreventing all vibration of the said lid, otherwise necessarily causedby the machinery mounted in the lid.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a clamp readilyadjustable to accommodate the expansion or swelling of the washingmachine lid or tub, each with relation to the other, whereby althoughthese parts .may swell or expand in use, thc same clamp will hold themat all times in a firm and uncompromising manner.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail sectional View of a portion of a washing machine.

Fig. 9. is an elevation of the same.

' Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same.

1 represents a side of a tub. 2 represents the lid thereon. Firinlysecured to the lid is a plate 3 having a radial projection a thereon inwhich is a guide slot 5 for a purpose hereinafter to be described.Pivoted on the lid in a radial line with the center of the slot 5 is a.handle 6 carrying at its lower outside corner the projecting lug 7 theupper' edge of which lug is slightly rounded at its corners, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

Firmly secured to the side of the tub by means of the bolt 8 and screws9, is a substantially triangular plate 10 having there on the projectinglugs 11 upon which are pivoted the lower forked extremities 12 of thehook member 13. In vertical alinement with the extremity 12 is anotherlug 14 having an arcuate slot 15 therein. The hook member 13 is forkedas shown in Fig. 2 to embrace the lug 14 and carries in position toengage the arcuate slot 15 a bolt 16 having a nut 17. The upper end ofthe hooked member 13 is goose-necked and provided with a shoulderedmember 18. In operation the lid is placed upon the tub in such a fashionthat the slot 15 will accommodate the hook 18. If more than one of theseclamping members is used upon the tub, this will properly position thelid with respect to the other hooks. The handle 6 is then turned fromthe position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 to the position shown infull lines therein, the rounded upper edges of the projection 7 engagingthe hook 18 and tightly binding the lid to the tub.

By means of the bolt 16 and the nut 17 the forks 1Q of the hooked member13 can be clamped upon the lug 14 thereby firmly maintaining the hookedmember in readily adjusted position. By adjusting the member 17radially, any change in the relative sizeof the lid and tub can bereadily accommodated. If necessary, the nut 17 can be loosened enough toafford only a slight resistance 'to the radial swinging movement of thehook 13, whereby the latter can be mov'ed by tapping it with a hammer 01by hand or sometimes it may be possible to lift the hook 18 looseallowing the hook member to adjust itself as the needs. of the situationrequire. In order to make a more firm and rigid structure, however, Iprefer to firmly clamp the hook member 13 in adjusted position and tochange the position whenever the change in the lid or tub becomessufficient to Warrant it.

I claim:-

1. A clamp for washing machines or the like comprising a bracket mountedon one part thereof, a hooked device pivotedv on said bracket andadjustable with relation thereto, a plate pivoted upon another partsubstantially at right angles to the hook and having a portion adaptedto engage with said hook whereby said parts may be firmly clampedtogether.

2. In` a washing machine, a tub, a removable lid thereon, a bracketsecured to the side of the tub and including a guide, a forked hookedmember pivoted to the bracket and embracing said guide, means foradjusting said hook member with relation to said guide, a secondvguideon the lid', a plate pivo'tally mounted at right angles to the hookabove said second guide and having a cam portion adapted to engage withthe hook upon the hooked member, all for the purpose described.

In` witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specificationin the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. VOSS.

Witnesses /VILLIAM E. PULS, GEORGE W. CARDINOL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D; C.

